If you use refrigerator magnets or magnetic business cards to aid in your marketing efforts, it could be more convenient and cost-saving to print these items yourself rather than purchase them. Magnetic inkjet papers offer a way to accomplish that objective, but there's some need for caution. While magnetic inkjet papers generally work with inkjet printers, they have special storage and usage considerations, and they don't work with laser printers.

The Medium

Magnetic inkjet paper consists of a laminate that combines paper with magnetic sheeting. Although most products in this category come in letter-sized sheets pre-cut to feed through a desktop output device, some manufacturers produce roll-fed magnetic paper in widths suitable for use in a wide-format inkjet printer. You can cut the material with scissors, a razor-blade knife or a cutting plotter. Additionally, some sheet-fed media incorporate scoring to trim out a set of 10 business cards from each page.

Advantages

Magnetic inkjet paper quickly produces short-run promotional magnets you can include in a client mailing or incorporate into a presentation. The sheets run properly in most standard desktop inkjet printers manufactured after 1999, although it's wise to verify compatibility with your specific printer. The soft, flexible material cuts well with standard scissors and can accommodate text, graphics and photos printed from any software, including word processors and graphics applications.

Disadvantages

Because magnets attract other magnets, you won't be able to load multiple sheets of this special substrate into your printer at the same time. The sheets would stick together and fail to load correctly. Likewise, the thickness of these sheets mandates feeding them one at a time. They require special storage away from recordable, erasable items such as audio or data tapes, whose contents they may damage. Magnetic inkjet paper doesn't accommodate outdoor use, moisture or light exposure. For the best chances of printing success, your output hardware needs a straight, simple paper path from the feeder to the output tray, avoiding the prospect of curling the sheets or dislodging pre-scored items such as business cards. Finally, because of their cost, save these sheets for after you've proofed and verified your design on plain paper.

Risks

Fed through a laser printer instead of an inkjet device, magnetic paper poses significant risks to your hardware. Like most specialty media designed for inkjet use, the material can't withstand the heat of the fuser assembly that bonds toner onto paper. Despite its designation as an inkjet-friendly medium, magnetic paper requires caution in inkjet devices, too. Some hardware uses electromagnets to control parts of its operation and can be disrupted by the presence of magnetic media. Other devices contain ferrous metals, which attract the magnet and won't let go.

About the Author

Elizabeth Mott has been a writer since 1983. Mott has extensive experience writing advertising copy for everything from kitchen appliances and financial services to education and tourism. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English from Indiana State University.